Ice Hockey

Overview

Ice Hockey (commonly called Hockey in Canada and other countries where it is the only variation of the game) is a sport invented in Canada in 1875. The first modern organized indoor game was played at the Victoria Skating Rink, Montréal, Québec. The professional major league in North America is the NHL ( National Hockey League), however there are many other professional leagues around the world, primarily in Europe. Some of the more popular leagues include the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League, Russia), Eliteserien (Sweden), SM-liiga (Finland), and DEL (Deutsche Eishockey Liga, Germany) and the Elite legue in the UK. Hockey is Canada's National Sport.

The first hockey video game was released in 1978, simply titled Hockey! for the Magnavox Odyssey 2.

How To Play

Now that you know the story of how hockey was invented, let's learn how the game is played. Here's how it works: Two teams line up opposite sides from one another at a face-off to start or resume the game. In a face-off, the 2 center players line up at the face-off circle and prepare their sticks. Then the referee will come in with the puck in his hand. Play can begin once the referee drops the puck and it touches the ice. Each team is allowed 5 players and 1 goalie on the ice at a time unless certain circumstances allow otherwise (which will be explained later). In order to win your team must have more goals at the end of the game. The game lasts for 3 periods with a 20-minute time limit. Players work together by passing the puck with their sticks, in order to try and score a goal on the opposing team by getting the puck past the opposing goalie and into the net. If both teams have the same number of the goals at the end of regulation, an overtime period begins. In overtime the next team to score wins. In the regular season overtimes are played 4 on 4 (instead of 5 on 5). If neither team scores the winning goal in overtime, then a shootout will occur (Regular Season Only). To win the shootout, you must score more goals than your opponent in a best of 5 shootout. In a shootout, teams alternate turns taking a penalty shot on the opposing goalie. If the team that went first, is first to get a goal, the other team is allowed to go one more time in order to tie it up and keep the shootout going until one team scores and the other does not.

The Players

Goaltender: The goalie's primary task is simple - keep the puck out of his own net. Offensively, he might start his team down the ice with a pass, but seldom does he leave his net.

Defensemen: These players try to stop the incoming play at their own blue line. They try to break up passes, block shots, cover opposing forwards (center and forwards) and clear the puck from in front of their own goal. Offensively, they get the puck to their forwards and follow the play into the attacking zone, positioning themselves just inside their opponent's blue line at the "points".

Center: The quarterback on the ice, the center leads the attack by carrying the puck on offense. He exchanges passes with his wings to steer the play toward the opposing goal. Defensively, he tries to disrupt a play before it gets on his team's side of the ice.

Wings: The wings team up with the center on the attack to set up shots on goal. Defensively, they attempt to break up plays by their counterparts and upset shot attempts.

The Officials

Referee: The referee supervises the game, calls penalties, determines if goals are scored and handles face-offs at center ice at the start of each period.

Linesmen: Two are used. They call offsides, iceing, and handle all faceoffs not occurring at center ice. They do not call penalties, but can recommend to the referee that a penalty be called.

Rules

Offsides: When any member of the attacking team precedes the puck over the defending team's blue line.

Iceing: When a player shoots the puck across the center red line and past the opposing red goal line. Iceing is not called if the player's team is killing a penalty, a teammate of the player shooting the puck touches it before a player from the opposing team, the defending goalie touches the puck first or if the puck travels through the crease (area painted blue in front of the goal) on it's way to the red line.

Penalties

A team plays shorthanded when one or more of its players is charged with a penalty. However, no team is forced to play more than two players below full strength (six) at any time. If a third penalty is assessed to the same team, it is suspended until the first penalty expires. When a penalty is called on a goalie, a teammate who was on the ice at the time of the call serves his time in the penalty box.

Minor Penalty: Two minutes - Called for boarding, charging, crease violation, cross-checking, delay of game, elbowing, holding, hooking, high-sticking, interference, roughing, slashing, spearing, tripping, and unsportsmanlike conduct.

Major Penalty: Five Minutes - Called for fighting or when minor penalties are committed with deliberate intent to injure. Major penalties for slashing, spearing, high-sticking, boarding, butt-ending and cross-checking carry automatic game misconducts.

Misconduct: Ten Minutes - Called for various forms of unsportsmanlike behavior or when a player incurs a second major penalty in a game. This is a penalty against an individual and not a team, so a substitute is permitted.

Penalty Shot: A free shot, unopposed except for the goalie, given to a player who is illegally impeded from behind when in possession of the puck with no opponent between him and the goal except the goalie. The team which commits the offense is not penalized beyond the penalty shot, whether it succeeds or not.

Delayed Penalty: The whistle is delayed until the penalized team regains possession of the puck. This allows the un-penalized team pull their goalie in order to get an additional forward out on the ice to try and score.

Time Limit

Ice Hockey

• Each Period: 20 Minutes
• Mario Sports Mix: 2-4 Minutes
• Overtime: 5 minutes Regular Season
• Overtime: 20 Minutes Post Season
• Shootout: Some leagues and tournaments use shootouts after overtime